6 Yoga Poses for Insomnia Treatment – Yoga For Everything

Do you always have to find yourself staring at the ceiling instead of dreaming? Has popping in pills become the only way to get a decent night’s sleep? If so, then you are said to have the symptoms of insomnia. Sleepless nights are battles that most people tend to fight these days. Most of us feel that there is no cure for insomnia, which is an absolute fallacy. There are several methods and remedies for insomnia, out of which yoga poses for insomnia cure give the optimum results.

Most often stress and anxiety prevent a person from relaxing and falling asleep. There are times when even an extremely hectic day cannot bring on a deep sleep.

Scientifically, a human needs to sleep at least 7 to 8 hours a day. This sleep helps the brain in getting the much-needed rest. When you sleep, only the subconscious part of your brain works. The pretty much conscious part which is responsible for the focusing, memorizing, and thinking and understanding is technically in relaxing mood. If you compare the human body to a computer, it would be clear that just like the CPU, the brain needs to be cooled down or it would be in the danger of being overheated.

Due to the shifting work schedules, working during the night and high workload people who are workaholics suffer more from this problem. Those who suffer from emotional stress tend to suffer as well.

Digging Deeper:

What Causes Insomnia and the Insomnia Symptoms?

People with insomnia symptoms face deep difficulty in falling asleep even when they hadn’t get their sleep quota of the day. Due to insufficient sleep, the following symptoms can appear:

Fatigue

Loss of energy

Difficulty in concentration

Mood swings

Irritability

Decrease in performance at work

There are two types of this disorder, acute insomnia, and chronic insomnia. Acute insomnia occurs for a short period of time. Major causes of insomnia of this type are stress and anxiety. The person with this disorder manages to return to normal once he is removed from the influence of the trigger. This usually doesn’t require treatment as this insomnia cures itself by time upon taking proper healthcare guidance.

Chronic insomnia is the state where insomnia has lasted for over 3 months. The condition lasts for so long that all the symptoms of sleeping disorders can be distinctive. The loss of sleep leads to other problems and insomnia treatment is needed in this case. Shifting work schedules, unhealthy sleeping habits or medication can lead to this. Consulting a psychiatrist is necessary as the insomnia symptoms at a deeper level could become an unsolved emotional issue.

Yoga Poses for Insomnia Cure:

In most general cases, stresses are the principal causes of insomnia of all types. Once the person overcomes the stress, the disorder is solved itself. During the few sleepless nights, using medication for sleeping can help in catching up with the required amount of sleep. If sleeping during the night is difficult due to discomfort, then removing this discomfort will bring back your sleep, which could be the best activity out of the remedies for insomnia.

You can also make time for your sleep during the day. For the severe loss of sleep, medication should be used. If your condition is chronic insomnia, then consulting doctor or a psychiatrist is a must. Treatment for chronic insomnia is solely upon the psychiatrist’s advice. However, yoga poses for insomnia can get you instant relief.

Acute insomnia can best be treated by letting your body relax. Practicing yoga for insomnia of this type helps a lot. Yoga is considered a healing art. When a person starts concentrating on his breathing, he becomes oblivious to his surroundings and problems. This way all his anxiety and stress leaves him. When the causes of insomnia are observed and treated, using pills for sleeping becomes unnecessary.

There are several yoga poses for insomnia which help in attaining the “inner peace” easily and effortlessly. Use these simple and relaxing poses and defeat your sleeplessness due to insomnia. Some of them are:

1. Leg Up to the Wall or Viparita Karani:

Sit sideways against the wall. For comfort place a blanket where you will be placing your head.

Slowly bring one leg up against the wall closely followed by the other as you slowly lie down on your back.

This asana will allow the blood to rush to your head and allows you to cool down. Maintain the posture for 3 to 5 minutes or as long as you wish to. Let all the tiredness leave your body. While you lie on the floor with your legs up, you can slowly feel the negative energy leaving you. When you rise, there are cent percent chances that you will be rejuvenated. This can be done at home as a cure for insomnia. Thus, it counts to be one of the natural remedies for insomnia treatment.

2. Reclined Twist:

Lie on your back and bring your knees to your chest.

Extend your right arm palm facing up at shoulder height.

Slowly bring your knees to the other side that is the left side.

Keep your folded and twist your body from the waist and stay in the position for 30 seconds.

Slowly return to the original position and extend your left arm out the same way and twist toward your right side.

Keep repeating the step for 3 to 5 minutes.

Maintain a constant breathing rate throughout the entire routine as this helps you relax your stiff back and upper body muscles.

This posture is to let out the stress from your muscles, which makes it the most active cure for insomnia. Bringing your knees up and twisting your body allows your stiff muscles to lose up. It allows them to warm up as well and soon you will feel sleepy as your body has relaxed. Your stressed body made it difficult for you to fall asleep. Now that your body has relaxed, sleep will be easy to come. Physical relieves are the best natural remedies for insomnia. And yoga for insomnia treatment gives both physical and mental relief.

3. Savasana or the Corpse Pose:

Lie down on the back and keep your legs and arms close to your body.

Keep your legs and arms loose with your palms facing up.

Keep watching your breathing and relax for 5 minutes.

Make sure your body is fully relaxed. Keeping any of your muscles stiff would not give you the best benefits.

This posture is called a corpse pose for a reason. The condition of this pose is to lie down almost like a corpse, with absolutely no muscle moving. Relax and feel the sleep coming on to you almost immediately. This is one of the best remedies for insomnia as it largely helps in losing stress that has built up in your body. While resting, don’t let your thoughts wander as you might start feeling anxious and again you would be too tense to fall asleep. Insomnia treatment becomes easier when you can stop your thoughts from wondering. This way you treat the root of the problem directly.

We might not realize the help of this yoga asana these days as it looks simpler, but it proves to be the deadliest way of treatment out of all yoga poses for insomnia.

Maintain your posture and while returning to original position inhale.

Repeat with the other leg as well.

This one from the yoga poses for insomnia will help stretch your backbones and muscle. It especially helps to loosen up the spine. This is best for people who sit slouch at work. Loosening up your body again helps in relaxing your stiff muscles. Some people suffer from insomnia due to body aches and stiff muscle which prevent them from relaxing completely. This is the best way to treat this kind of cause of insomnia.

5. Bound Angle Pose or Baddha Konasana:

Keep your back straight to sit on the floor, and bend your legs inward.

Bring the foot heels together in front of you.

Put your hands on your feet

Keep your back straight without slouching and concentrate on your breathing.

Keep this posture for 5 minutes and keep breathing in and out.

Similar to Siddhasana, this pose is mainly to allow you to breathe properly. Concentrate on breathing properly and meditate. This lets the brain relax and settles the heart rate. Once your heartbeat reaches a rhythm, and you have stopped thinking about anything other than your breath, you will find that your body has given out all its stress. Make heed to stop worrying as worrying about anything will again lead to stress build up in the body, which is what causes insomnia at the basic level. To find insomnia cures soothingly by yourself, let the worry flow out of your body.

6. Siddhasana Variation or Adepts Pose Variation:

Sit with your back straight and bend your legs and cross your ankles.

Inhale and straighten your spine and put your left hand on your right knee.

Keep the right hand behind you on the floor for support.

Turn your chest to the right side as well.

Stay like that and breathe in and out and concentrate on your breathing.

Return to the original position and do the same with the other side.

Repeat this till you have relaxed completely or at least for 3 minutes.

Keep your spine relaxed and straight throughout the entire routine. This yoga asana for insomnia is helpful only when you keep your thoughts from wandering to other things. Make yourself relax as the trick behind all the above-mentioned yoga poses for insomnia work from the roots. Because what causes insomnia most is high anxiety level and unnecessary stress in your body, these poses should be able to become the permanent insomnia cures with zero chance of side effects.

Since the yoga asanas help you discharge the negative energy, they should bring about many positive changes in your life. The first benefit of that energy should be the insomnia treatment. Don’t waste any time and hit the sack the very moment you are done with the above set of exercises and yoga poses for insomnia cure. Turn down the lights and dream on!!!

Written By

Kranthi Kumar Maska is an entrepreneur by profession and blogger by interest who loves to spread help through words. He loves to speak and write on health care and nutrition which persuaded him to study the subject in depth and earn a valid certificate in Food and health issued by Stanford University.
Kranthi is a travel freak and he loves to explore the world. He finds joy in little things and sweet nothings!
"The best in you comes out when you have nothing in your favour" is what Kranthi believes in. He has a lot of other creative interests, out of which writing is his love, and "Digital Marketing" is his passion.